Ohio Auditor Betty Montgomery stopped in yesterday to warn us about trouble that we're heading for right here in River City.

She started out saying that the legislative proposal to allow video slot machines at Ohio's racetracks is bad business because the state would only get 5.2 percent of the take. But by the time she finished up, she sounded like Prof. Harold Hill singing out his warnings as the first insidious pool table rolls into town.

Why don't all our politicians say what they really believe?

The video slot machine issue probably will end up on Ohio's ballot in November. It should. It is the kind of issue that voters should decide for themselves and not leave up to the legislature. Montgomery agrees with that, but she wants to make sure the voters think about the dross that is under the gold.

Casino gambling - and that's what video slots and "racinos" eventually will morph into - will change Ohio, and not for the better. I say this as a person who has no strong moral objection to gambling. I do it myself sometimes. But, as Montgomery warns, it will change the dynamics of our political system.

Gambling money will be big money and big money holds sway. The gambling operators will pour large sums into the campaign coffers of politicians who will be more than happy to look out for their interests. "There will be a dramatic increase in political giving," Montgomery said. "We will see the strength of the gaming industry seeping into public policies at every level."

There is nothing intrinsically evil with that. Other big industries spend their money influencing policies and politicians. But gambling is different. It doesn't produce a product like coal, or steel, or soap flakes. It produces an illusion. For most people it's an entertaining illusion that you can get rich without working for it. A small wager and a bit of luck, and you'll be able to tell the boss to take his job and shove it.

But, as Montgomery pointed out, there are some people for whom this illusion becomes a nightmare. "We can predict addictions, thefts, bankruptcies, family breakups," she said.

Yeah but we can also predict fat public treasuries as the state rakes off its cut. Think about it in terms of schools, scholarships - even prescription drugs. That's what State Sen. Lou Blessing, R-Anderson Township, sponsor of the video slots proposal, says we should do. Those things sure sound good - fill in all the potholes, a new roof on every school, take care of the tired, the old and the poor - and do it without raising taxes. The plan calls for a three-way split of every dollar dropped in the slots - 90 percent to go out in prizes, 4.8 percent to the track and 5.2 percent to the state. As Montgomery said, that's only pennies for public works, but it would add up to a lot of pennies. A lot, but not enough, never enough. Remember how the state lottery was going to fund all the schools? Remember it again the next time you look at your property tax bill. Being able to pay all the bills with gambling money turns out to be just as big an illusion as playing Instant Millionaire.

So why don't we just raise the state's cut?

Montgomery hesitated when asked if a10-percent share would buy her support? How about 25 percent?

Finally she acknowledged that it isn't just a matter of money, even though she tries to argue against the issue as a bad financial deal for Ohio. "In the long term we will rue the day we let gambling in here," she said. It often, not always, but often, takes the money of the people who can least afford it. The lottery does the same thing and slots will be worse. She's not a crusader trying to eradicate gambling as a sin, but her point is that we should stop it where it is and not make it worse.

One final argument she comes up against is that if Ohio doesn't have this kind of gambling, plenty of neighboring states do, or will. What about all those Ohio license plates on the cars in Argosy's parking lot over in Lawrenceburg? Those folks may be suckers, but they're throwing away good money in another state. Shouldn't we encourage them do it here instead?

"No, we shouldn't," Montgomery said.

As I said, it's nice to hear a politician say what she really believes.

Contact David Wells at 768-8310; fax: 768-8610; e-mail: dwells@enquirer.com. Cincinnati.Com keyword: Wells.